Hi again guys. I came across this watch in a local ad. The seller is a woman who has just inherited the watch from her late father she says. She states that this is a "145.022-69ST calibre 861", but I think it looks like a 145.022-68 with service bezel (and hands?) What do you guys think? No other info other than that it has been serviced in august 2017. Head only. Edit: She states that "Some parts were changed [on service], but we have all the parts. According to AD the watch is in very good condition. Bezel, dial and hands are original. I'll send you pictures of the parts." I'll add those pictures here when i recieve them.
could very well be. bezel would be a service replacement/correct for later '69s, but that dial looks good for a '68.
Only way to know for sure : 1) Extract. But that is not a '69 dial. And as you undoubtedly know, '68s come with a DON.
I'm considering buying this and start searching for a DON-bezel. How is DON-bezels priced these days? What do you guys think is a reasonable offer for this watch?
She's asking for 5850 USD for this watch. She believes that it is totally original.. Guess I won't bother to explain to her why that is delusional. The dial is nice tho...
This is not necessarily a fair question: If a $2k. DON bezel was added then what would you value this "head only" '68?
I bet today that you can find a rough DON for $1k approx and a good one for $2/2.5k (like a perfect one with a couple of dings only). I've noticed that there is an increasing gap between good DONs and perfect ones, in the sense that good ones' value decreased a bit. The DNN is maybe 500$, so with $1k you can add an OK DON to a very nice watch! I'd say that for $5.5k as is it's a good buy (not the steal of the century, but very nice 68s are not that easy to get)
Oh yeah. I told her today get it opened and checked again. With pictures. The serial number is 265581XX
Exactly, whoops It's going to be a pain to find one. It's up to you to know if you want to invest time & money or just get a nice one for a bit more money